RELI 108: TRADITIONAL JEWISH WRITINGS

Version 2011/Final The Department of Religious Studies RELI 108: TRADITIONAL JEWISH WRITINGS Dr. Evyatar Marienberg Spring 2011, Mondays & Wednesdays, 12:00-12:50, Peabody 218 The aim of this undergraduate course will be to familiarize ourselves with Jewish literary works that are considered fundamental, classic, traditional (often, all of the above). We will include in our list the Hebrew Bible, the Mishnah, the Babylonian Talmud, midrashic collections, works from the Geonic period, works by Maimonides, major codes of Jewish law, major kabbalistic, philosophic, poetic, and ethical works, hassidic compositions, and more. At the end of this course, students would have, it is hoped, a better understanding of the complex and diverse Jewish written corpus. All texts will be studied using English translations. No knowledge of Hebrew or background in Jewish culture or history is required. Good attendance is expected. Students will be required to regularly read secondary sources (chapters/articles), submit short summaries/reflections, and prepare primary sources. Grading: Presence and participation (class): 10% Presence and participation (recitations): 10% Postings on Blackboard: 40% Final (Monday, May 2 nd, 12:00pm) 40% Instructor s contact information: Dr. Evyatar Marienberg (evyatarm@unc.edu). Office hours: Saunders Hall #128, Mon. 2:30pm-3:30pm TA s contact information: Mr. Joseph Gindi (jgindi@email.unc.edu). Office hours: Saunders Hall #122, TBA

Additional Information: Participation in class is expected. If you have a particular problem with voluntary participation (social anxiety, etc.), or an especially difficult time dealing with being suddenly called upon, please advise the professor during the first two weeks. Your request will be fully honored, and, if appropriate, another method of personal evaluation, agreed upon by both you and the professor/ta, might be put into place. Students are expected to arrive promptly and to remain for the entirety of the scheduled class/recitation. The professor/ta retain the right to refuse entrance to students who arrive late and consider those who leave early as absent from the entire class/session. Students must prepare the assigned readings (and/or other tasks) for each class. If students are not coming prepared, a system of pop quizzes may be introduced, with the grade system adjusted accordingly. The use of cell phones, laptops, ipads, MP3 players, and similar gadgets is not permitted during class. Sorry! All students are expected to abide by the university s Honor Code (http://honor.unc.edu). Any suspicion of intellectual dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism of any kind) will cause a thorough investigation and, if found to be justified, will have severe consequences. All readings, and many of the sources we will use in class, will be available through Blackboard. There is an attendance requirement for this course: all students are responsible for making sure their presence is recorded. A student who misses more than four classes/recitations will fail. In exceptional cases, if the absence was well-justified, the student may be asked to write an additional essay about the topics dealt with during his/her absence. Before each session you are responsible of posting on Blackboard, no later than two hours before the session, your reflections about the readings for that session. These postings will be graded. Without a posting, your attendance in a particular session might not be taken into account. 2

Course Plan Date Topic Readings (to read before class) and Subjects/texts discussed in class printouts (to bring to class) I Mon, Jan 10 Introduction - General Introduction - A responsum on removing one s hat in a synagogue II Wed, Jan 12 Jewish History in a Nutshell - Cowling, Judaism: A Historical Overview - How to analyze a text? - Jewish history and geography: a very quick survey R1 Fri, Jan 14 Mon, Jan 17 NO CLASS (MLK Jr Day) III Wed, Jan 19 The Hebrew Bible I R2 Fri, Jan 21 IV Mon, Jan 24 The Hebrew Bible II V Wed, Jan 26 Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha R3 Fri, Jan 28 - Rabin, Introduction: There s More than One Way to Read the Bible - Brettler, Introductions to Torah, Nevi im, and Kethuvim - Rabin, History in the Bible - Friedman, Introduction/Collection of Evidence - Grintz and Dan, Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha - desilva, Introducing the Apocrypha: Message, Context and Significance - David and Goliath - Amos - Song of Songs - Psalm 22 - Genesis 1-2 - Exodus 19-22 - Numbers 22-23 - Septuagint - Hellenism - Disapora Judaisms - Canonization of Hebrew Bible - Apocrypha - Pseudoepigraph - Sirach 1-2 - 1 Maccabees 1-2 - 1 Enoch 1-10 VI Mon, Jan 31 Philo and Josephus - Sandmel, Philo Judaeus: An Introduction to the Man, his Writings, and his Significance (Parts only: check bibliography) VII Wed, Feb 2 Qumran - http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/dss (sections) R4 Fri, Feb 4 VIII Mon, Feb 7 New Testament - Brown, The Nature and Origin of the New Testament - Ehrman, A Brief Introduction to the New Testament - Philo - Josephus - The Flood story - Philo & Josephus on Flood - Qumran - The Dead Sea Scrolls - Current debates - Psalms from Qumran - The Copper Scroll - The Rules - The Historical Jesus - Jesus Christ - New Testament - NT as a Jewish Text - The Synoptic Problem - Matthew 12 3

Date Topic Readings (to read before class) and printouts (to bring to class) IX Wed, Feb 9 Mishnah & Tannaitic R5 Fri, Feb 11 Danby, Introduction [to the Mishnah] Subjects/texts discussed in class - Acts 15 - Acts 6-8 - What is Rabbinics? - What is the Mishnah? - The Organization of the Talmudic - Selections from Mishnah Shabbat, Baba Mezia, Avodah Zarah, Avot X Mon, Feb 14 Midrashic - Stern, Midrash and Jewish Interpretation - What is Midrash? - Selection of Midrashic texts - What is Talmud? (I) XI Wed, Feb 16 Talmud I - Nothing (a little break!) - What is Talmud? (II) - What is Shofar? - Talmudic texts on the Shofar R6 Fri, Feb 18 XII Mon, Feb 21 Talmud II Geonic XIII Wed, Feb 23 Historic R7 Fri, Feb 25 - Schiffman, Epilogue: The Hegemony of the Babylonian Talmud - Brody, Geonim - Skinner, Gender, Memory and Jewish Identity - Talmudic Sources - Geonic Sources - Yossifon - The Scroll of Ahimaaz - Crusade s Chronicles XIV Mon, Feb 28 Piyyut - Lieber, Piyyut - Piyyutim: Text, Music, - Three Piyyutim Performance XV Wed, Mar 2 Rashi & Exegetic - Wiesel, Rashi: A Portrait - Rashi on the Bible - Rashi on the Talmud - Rashi as codificator R8 Fri, Mar 4 - Talmud with Rashi Mon, Mar 7 NO CLASS (Spring Break) Wed, Mar 9 NO CLASS (Spring Break) Fri, Mar 11 NO RECITATION (Spring Break) XVI Mon, Mar 14 Maimonides & Philosophic XVII Wed, Mar 16 Special Session: Crisis in Japan - Suffering and Theodicy in Judaism and Japanese Religions R9 Fri, Mar 18 - Kraemer, The Life of Moses ben Maimon 4 Texts from: - Guide of the Perplexed - Mishneh Torah - Medical Writings - Maimonides on suffering - Guest: Prof. Barbara Ambros

Date Topic Readings (to read before class) and printouts (to bring to class) XVIII Mon, Mar 21 Kuzari - Saenz-Badillos, Lasker, et al.,, & Apologetic Judah ha-levi - Shear, The Kuzari and the Shaping of Jewish Identity 1167-1900 XIX Wed, Mar 23 Sefer Hasidim & Medieval R10 Fri, Mar 25 NO RECITATION (Holy Friday) XX Mon, Mar 28 Jewish Environmentalist (Session taught by TA Joseph Gindi) XXI Wed, Mar 30 The Siddur and Jewish Liturgy R11 Fri, Apr 1 - Dan, Sefer Hasidim - Schäfer, Jews and Christians in the High Middle Ages : the "Book of the Pious" TBA Subjects/texts discussed in class - Selection of texts from the Kuzari - Texts from Sefer Hasidim - Harlow, Siddur Sim Shalom - The Shema - The Amida - Morning Blessings - Lekha Dodi XXII Mon, Apr 4 Kabbalah & Mystical/Esoter ic XXIII Wed, Apr 6 Shulhan Arukh & Halakhic R12 Fri, Apr 8 - Scholem, Idel, and Garb, Kabbalah (Parts only: check bibliography) - Werblowsky and Goldish, Shabbetai Tsevi - Huss, All You Need Is LAV: Madonna and Postmodern Kabbalah - Twerski, The Shulhan Aruk: Enduring Code of Jewish Law - Ta-Shma, Responsa (Parts only: check bibliography) Texts from: - Heikhalot Rabbati - Sefer ha-bahir - Tomer Devorah - Zohar - Texts from Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayyim & Yoreh De ah - Responsa XXIV Mon, Apr 11 Women Related - Weissler, Prayers in Yiddish and the Religious World of Ashkenazic Women - Turniansky, Glueckel of Hameln XXV Wed, Apr 13 Haggadah - Tabory, The Haggadah and Its Ritual R13 Fri, Apr 15 - Texts from Glueckel s memoir - Selection of Tkhines - Art in Haggadot - Selection of texts from the Haggadah XXVI Mon, Apr 18 Ethical ( Mussar ) XXVII Wed, Apr 20 Hassidic (Passover) - Dan, Ethical - Dan and Hansel, Luzzatto, Moses Hayyim (Parts only: check bibliography) - Dan, Hasidism: An Overview - Green & Magid, Hasidism: Habad Hasidism - Green, Nahman of Bratslav - Selection from Hovot ha- Levavot & Mesilat Yesharim - Text from the Tanya - Texts by Nahman of Braslav 5

Date Topic Readings (to read before class) and printouts (to bring to class) R14 Fri, Apr 22 XXVIII Mon, Apr 25 Winds of Change: Secularization and Haskalah - Hess, Christian Wilhelm von Dohm - von Dohm, On the Civic Improvement of the Jews (1781) - Wessely, Words of Peace and Truth (1782) - Eisenstein-Barzilay, The Ideology of the Berlin Haskalah (Easter Monday ; Passover) XXIX Mon, Apr 27 Review Session Questions for review and Conclusion Mon, May 2 FINAL EXAM Subjects/texts discussed in class - Haskalah / Secularization / Emancipation - The Decline of the Rabbinic Hegemony - Review - Conclusion 6

Readings: Detailed Bibliography - Geoffrey Cowling, Judaism: A Historical Overview, in: Christopher H. Partridge (ed.), Introduction to World Religions, Fortress Press 2005, pp. 265-273 - Elliott Rabin, Introduction: There s More than One Way to Read the Bible, in: Elliot Rabin, Understanding the Hebrew Bible: A Reader s Guide, Ktav, New Jersey 2006, pp. 1-18 - Marc Zvi Brettler, Introductions to Torah, Nevi im, and Kethuvim, in: Adele Berlin and Zvi Brettler (eds.), The Jewish Study Bible (=JSB), Oxford University Press, 2004, pp. 1-7, 451-461, 1275-1279 - Elliott Rabin, History in the Bible, in: Elliot Rabin, Understanding the Hebrew Bible: A Reader s Guide, Ktav, New Jersey 2006, pp. 75-109 - Richard Elliott Friedman, Introduction/Collection of Evidence, in Richard Elliott Friedman, The Bible with Sources Revealed: A New View Into the Five Books of Moses, HarperSanFrancisco, San Francisco 2003, pp. 1-31 - Yehoshua Grintz and Joseph Dan, Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, in: Encyclopedia Judaica 2nd Edition (=EJ2), Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik (eds.), Macmillan Reference USA, Detroit 2007, Vol. 2, pp. 258-261 - David A. desilva, Introducing the Apocrypha: Message, Context and Significance, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids 2002, pp. 15-41 - Samuel Sandmel, Philo Judaeus: An Introduction to the Man, his Writings, and his Significance, in: Aufstieg und Niedergang der Römischen Welt, II/21:1 (1984), pp. 3-46 (read only chapters I, II, III, V) - http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/dss (Pages: Discovery of the Scrolls ; What do the Scrolls Contain? ; Who Wrote the Scrolls? ; Publication of the Scrolls ) - Raymond E. Brown, The Nature and Origin of the New Testament, in: Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament, Anchor Bible Reference, Doubleday, New York 1997, pp. 3-19 - Bart D. Ehrman, A Brief Introduction to the New Testament, Oxford University Press, New York 2004, pp. 1-13 - Herbert Danby, Introduction, in: Herbert Danby, The Mishnah, Translated from the Hebrew, Oxford University Press, London 1933, pp. xiii-xxxii 7

- David Stern, Midrash and Jewish Interpretation, in: JSB, pp. 1863-1875 - Lawrence H. Schiffman, Epilogue: The Hegemony of the Babylonian Talmud, in: Laurence H. Schiffman (ed.), Texts and Tradition: A Source Reader for the Study of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism, Ktav 1998, pp. 749-761 - Robert Brody, Geonim, in: Norman Roth (ed.), Medieval Jewish Civilization: An Encyclopedia, Routledge, New York-London 2002, pp. 281 286 - Patricia Skinner, Gender, Memory and Jewish Identity: Reading a Family History from Medieval Southern Italy, Early Medieval Europe, 13:3 (2005), pp. 277-296 - Laura S. Lieber, Piyyut, Cambridge Dictionary of Judaism - Three Piyyutim, from www.piyut.org.il - Elie Wiesel, Rashi: A Portrait, Schocken, New York 2009, pp. 1-31 - Joel L. Kraemer, The Life of Moses ben Maimon, in: Lawrence Fine (ed.), Judaism in Practice: From the Middle Ages through the Early Modern Period, Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 2001, pp. 413-428 - Saenz-Badillos, Lasker, et al., Judah ha-levi, in: EJ2, Vol. 11, pp. 492-501 - Adam Shear, The Kuzari and the Shaping of Jewish Identity, 1167-1900, Cambridge University Press, 2008, pp. vii-20 - Joseph Dan, Hasidim, Sefer, in: EJ2, Vol. 8, pp. 392-393 - Peter Schäfer, Jews and Christians in the High Middle Ages: the Book of the Pious, in: Christoph Cluse (ed.), The Jews of Europe in the Middle Ages (Tenth to Fifteenth Centuries), Brepols, 2004, pp. 29-42 - Jules Harlow, Siddur Sim Shalom, The Rabbinical Assembly The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, New York 1989, pp. xi-xix - Gershom Scholem, Moshe Idel, and Jonathan Garb, Kabbalah, in: EJ2, Vol. 11, p. 1 (586, Kabbala ) - p. 10 (595, Jewish Gnosis and the Sefer Yeẓirah ) ; p. 20 (605, The Kabbalist Center of Gerona ) - p. 21 (606, Other Currents in 13th Century Spanish Kabbalah ) ; p. 24 (609, The Zohar ) p. 25 (610, The Kabbalah in the 14th Century up to the Expulsion from Spain ) ; p. 29 (614, The Kabbalah after the Expulsion from Spain and the New Center in Safed ) p. 34 (619, The Kabbalah in Later Times ) - R. J. Zvi Werblowsky, Shabbetai Tsevi [First Edition], and Matt Goldish, Shabbetai Tsevi [Further Considerations], Encyclopedia of Religion, 2nd Ed., Edited by Lindsay Jones, Vol. 12, Macmillan Reference USA, Detroit 2005, pp. 8258-8262 8

- Boaz Huss, All You Need Is LAV: Madonna and Postmodern Kabbalah, in: Jewish Quarterly Review 95:4 (2005), pp. 611 624 - Isadore Twerski, The Shulhan Aruk: Enduring Code of Jewish Law, in: Judah Goldin (ed.), The Jewish Expression, Yale University Press, New Haven 1976, pp. 322-343 (first published in Judaism 16.2 (1967)) - Israel Moses Ta-Shma, Responsa, in: EJ2, Vol. 17, pp. 228-232 (stop at: "...that to date it numbers no less than some 250,000 responsa") - Chava Weissler, Prayers in Yiddish and the Religious World of Ashkenazic Women, in: Judith R. Baskin (ed.), Jewish Women in Historical Perspective (Second Edition), Wayne State University Press, Detroit 1998, pp. 169-192 - Chava Turniansky, Glueckel of Hameln, in: Jewish Women A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia, 7 pages - Joseph Tabory, The Haggadah and Its Ritual, in: The JPS Haggadah, Philadelphia 2008, pp. 1-32 - Joseph Dan, Ethical, in: EJ2, Vol. 6, pp. 525-531 - Joseph Dan and Joelle Hansel, Luzzatto, Moses Hayyim, in: EJ2, Vol. 13, p. 281 until p. 282 ( in a plague ) ; p. 284 ( Luzzatto s Ethical Work ) p. 285 ( suspected of Shabbateanism ) - Joseph Dan, Hasidism: An Overview, in: Encyclopedia of Religion 2nd Edition (=ER2), Lindsay Jones (ed.), Macmillan Reference USA, Detroit 2005, Vol. 6, pp. 3785-3792 - Arthur Green and Shaul Magid, Hasidism: Habad Hasidism, in: ER2, Vol. 6, pp. 3792-3793 - Arthur Green, Nahman of Bratslav, in: ER2, Vol. 9, pp. 6401-6402 - Jonathan M. Hess, Christian Wilhelm von Dohm (1751-1830), in: Richard S. Levy (ed.), Antisemitism: A Historical Encyclopedia of Prejudice and Persecution, ABC CLIO, Santa Barbara 2005, Vol. 1, p. 184 - Christian Wilhelm von Dohm, On the Civic Improvement of the Jews (1781), in: Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Nathan the Wise, Translated, Edited, and with an Introduction by Ronald Schechter, Bedford/St. Martin s, pp. 128-139 - Naphtali Herz (Hartwig) Wessely, Words of Peace and Truth (1782), in: Paul Mendes- Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz (ed.), The Jew in the Modern World: A Documentary History, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, New York 2010, pp. 74-77 - Isaac Eisenstein-Barzilay, The Ideology of the Berlin Haskalah, in: Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research 25 (1956), pp. 1-37 9